María del Carmen Morales, a member of the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco search collective, was killed along with her 26-year-old son Wednesday night near Guadalajara. (Social media)
The murder of missing persons activist María del Carmen Morales and her 26-year-old son, Jaime Daniel Rodríguez Morales, in Jalisco state has sparked outrage across Mexico.
It’s the second killing this month to hit the Warrior Searchers of Jalisco search collective, which last month reported finding bone fragments and possessions belonging to missing people at Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, a cartel training site that has also been described as an “extermination camp.”
The mother and son were shot by two men on motorbikes at around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Las Villas neighborhood of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga near Guadalajara, the State Attorney General’s Office (FEJ) reported.
Morales was a well-known member of the Warrior Searchers of Jalisco (Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco) collective and had been looking for her 19-year-old son Ernesto Julián Rodríguez Morales, who went missing in February 2024. The organization is now demanding justice for her death.
“No more violence or impunity in the state of Jalisco,” Guerreros Buscadores wrote in a post on the social platform X. “It is time for authorities to take effective measures to protect citizens and guarantee justice.”
Morales had previously received threats and intimidating messages for searching for her missing son Ernesto, Guerreros Buscadores member Raúl Servín said in an interview with the newspaper Milenio.
— Guerreros buscadores de jalisco (@GuerrerosJalisc) April 24, 2025
“Unfortunately, (Morales) had already been threatened several times,” Servín said. “It’s sad and painful that these things are happening. All we families want is to find our loved ones.”
State officials said there is no evidence tying the murders to Morales’ activism. The FEJ said that the aggressors first attacked Rodríguez and that Morales was fatally wounded after she attempted to defend her son.
The dismissal of the possibility that Morales was targeted for her activism drew the ire of some members of the search collective.
“They can’t categorically mention that because they haven’t really done the proper investigations to mention that it has nothing to do with the collective,” Servín said.
The Guerreros Buscadores and the “ranch of horror”
The Guerreros Buscadores were instrumental in bringing attention to Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlan, a rural area outside the state capital of Guadalajara.
Searchers found items of clothing and skeletal remains at the site. Mexican officials have since said that the site was a cartel training camp.
The search collective discovered burnt remains, a list of names apparently belonging to missing persons, and 200 shoes near the community of Teuchitlán. (Madres Buscadoras/X)
The deaths follow the murder earlier in the month of another member of the organization, Teresa González, who had been searching for her missing brother.
Jalisco, home to the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, is the state with the highest number of missing persons in the country.. Over 124,000 people are missing across Mexico, and most cases are never solved.
The issue has fostered mistrust of authorities’ ability or willingness to find the missing, leading search collectives like the Guerreros Buscadores to take matters into their own hands.
Lucha Libre AAA has been a family-operated business for over three decades. It puts on lucha libre shows across Mexico and has seen many of its stars move up to WWE. (Dassaev Téllez/Cuartoscuro)
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced the acquisition of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, one of Mexico’s premier wrestling promotions — with the first joint event set for June 7 at the Forum in Los Angeles.
The historic deal, revealed during WWE’s WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas, marks a major expansion into the Latin American market for the WWE, which is part of TKO Group Holdings.
The acquisition was unveiled Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during the “WWE Countdown” show for WrestleMania 41, which drew 124,693 fans over two nights for what WWE said was its highest ever two-night attendance total.
The WWE-AAA announcement included WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque; Alberto Fasja, chairman of Fillip, the Mexican sports and entertainment holding company that owns AAA wrestling; AAA executives Marisela Peña and Dorian Roldán Peña; and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, who was born Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio to Mexican parents who lived in Tijuana.
Mysterio, 50, spent part of his childhood crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego each day to attend school, and his Mexican heritage was always a central part of his WWE character — from wearing lucha libre masks to having the word “Mexican” tattooed in large letters across his stomach.
Founded in 1992 by Antonio Peña, AAA has been a family-operated business for over three decades. It puts on lucha libre shows across Mexico and has helped cultivate WWE stars such as Andrade, Penta (aka Penta Zero or Pentagón Jr.), Santos Escobar (previously known as El Hijo del Fantasma) and Rey Mysterio — whose career began in Mexico in the early 1990s.
The Peña family will retain involvement in AAA alongside WWE and Fillip.
“AAA has a rich cultural heritage with some of the most passionate fans in the world,” said Levesque, better known as “Triple H” during his days as a pro wrestler from 1995 to 2022. “By bringing together WWE’s global capabilities and AAA’s amazing tradition, we look forward to an exciting future filled with new opportunities.”
Lucha Libre AAA organizes wrestling shows in large and mid-sized cities throughout Mexico, hosts pay-per-view flagship events, and has promoted international shows in the U.S. and Japan.
It’s not to be confused with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which hosts regular matches in Mexico City at Arena México (known as the “Cathedral of Lucha Libre”) three times a week and at Arena Coliseo on Saturday nights. CMLL also runs shows Monday nights in the city of Puebla and on some Tuesdays in Guadalajara.
The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to finalize in the third quarter of 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The purchase marks a major expansion into the Latin American market for the WWE, as well as broadened horizons for Mexican lucha libre. (Alejandro Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro.com)
The June 7 show in Los Angeles, called Worlds Collide, will be a cross-promotional showcase highlighting WWE’s global reach and AAA’s lucha libre legacy.
Though the night’s lineup of wrestlers remains under wraps, WrestleTalk magazine has predicted some of the matchups, including Nueva Generación Dinamita of Mexico against WWE stars Nathan Frazer and Axiom for the AAA Tag Team Championship belt. Nueva Generación Dinamita — a stable including the wrestlers El Cuatrero, Sansón and Forastero — just won the title last month.
“The intent is to grow lucha libre,” Levesque said, noting its cultural significance across the Americas. “We’re not looking to revamp it but to enhance it and give talent opportunities to become worldwide celebrities.”
“This is the beginning of a new chapter in wrestling history,” added AAA General Manager Dorian Roldán Peña.
Tickets for Worlds Collide go on sale Monday, with presale registration available via the WWE website.
Mexican hospitals charge less than hospitals in countries like the United States, but that doesn't mean that they suffer in quality by comparison. (Mohamed Azaam)
This is a tale of two friends and about what happened when something went terribly wrong on our girls’ trip. I wanted to share this to show that if, heaven forbid, something ever goes wrong for you while travelling in Mexico, you shouldn’t hesitate to go to a hospital.
Hospitals across Mexico — especially in major tourist areas — offer excellent, modern treatment at a fraction of the price of at home. (Hospital San Angel Inn)
Because not all girls’ trips end in champagne and giggles. Ours didn’t.
Here’s what happened.
The collapse
A dear friend and I went on a little trip down to Tulum a couple of weeks ago. Nothing we hadn’t done before. Over the years, we’ve had many little adventures. Her Type 1 diabetes has never been an issue — until this time.
We had fun for two days and went exploring the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. Zooming around on boat rides. Floating down a Mayan canal surrounded by orchids. Enjoying amazing ice cream (our travel tradition) — you know, the usual girls’ trip stuff.
Then, on the morning we were due to come home, she collapsed in the street.
The dreamy rivers of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. (Government of Mexico)
After sitting for a bit, I decided it was time to go get help. I was five minutes too late. She suddenly crumpled on the curb. My worst fear was happening before my eyes. You guessed it: diabetic coma here we come.
The wild taxi ride
The poor taxi driver. He pulled up, seeing me trying to hold my friend up. Getting out to help me, he jokingly asked if she was drunk. It is Tulum, after all, so I’m sure he’s seen that at 8:30 a.m. after people have been partying the night away.
But he reacted quickly when I told him that she was diabetic. We got her into the taxi and took off forCostamed Tulum, five minutes away. Hand on the horn, he got us there quick, the poor man looking at me wild-eyed in the rearview mirror, asking if she was breathing as I tilted her head back to ensure a clear airway.
Just as well. Because if we’d waited for an ambulance, the doctor later said that she would have been in a full diabetic coma. Not just slipping into one. She may not have come back out.
A quick and responsive ER
He rushed into Costamed, reappearing a moment later with nurses and a wheelchair in tow. They were fantastic. Quick to respond, professional, efficient and very caring. I was impressed.
We went through a quick rundown of symptoms and timings while they were already working efficiently on my friend. I dreaded what came next: contacting her husband. I didn’t want to freak him out, which is hard, I know. So, I was very thankful for their fast response. She was already coming to by the time I made the call.
That made talking with her husband a lot easier. More of a “it’s okay, she’s recovering” sort of call, rather than a “you need to come to Tulum right now” sort of call. After all, it would not have been an easy or quick thing for him to do. We all live on Cozumel, so there would have been ferries and buses involved.
But my friend was already coherent again and talking medications with the doctor, so there was no need. The doctors and staff’s excellent treatment had her back with us and chatting away within half an hour.
Costamed has the largest hopsital network in the Mexican Caribbean and the Riviera Maya. (Costamed)
Phew, what a relief!
An English-speaking doctor arrived within minutes of us getting to the E.R. I’m only learning Spanish, so that was a relief. I mean, stammering away in Spanish, terrified I’d say the wrong thing, is not how I wanted things to go.
Another thing that impressed me was that they let me stay. They didn’t kick me out of the E.R. because I wasn’t immediate family or a spouse. Although at one point, I may have said I was to stay, but shhh, that can be our little secret. I’m sure you understand.
Excellent care for a fraction of the price
After liaising with medical staff and taking care of admin paperwork, the time flew by. It felt like we’d been there for an hour, but it had been over four. It amazes me that within that time, my dear friend was back, giggling at my jokes (someone has to), calling hubby to update him. Before you knew it, she’d bounced back to normal.
What excellent care. In four and a half hours, all tests were done and redone, checked and rechecked, and my friend was right as rain and ready to be discharged. You couldn’t ask for a more caring, safe environment or for better excellent care. We were both very thankful.
The only shock we had was the bill: Only US $500 for emergency care. That included specialists, blood work and an entire medical team that never left her side. That’s a very affordable E.R. visit.
I am very thankful for such excellent medical care and caring health professionals. And a big thank you to everyone at CostaMed Tulum!
Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over seven years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
After U.S. anti-migrant ads aired on Mexican television, President Sheinbaum introduced a reform that would ban them — and create a new telecommunications agency in the process. (Mario Caruso/Unsplash)
A comprehensive telecommunications reform bill that will significantly overhaul the Mexican government’s role in broadcasting and digital media is breezing through the Senate with the support of the ruling party Morena.
The bill was introduced Wednesday and passed through committee in less than 24 hours. If approved on the Senate floor, the legislation would move to the Chamber of Deputies where it is expected to continue on its fast-track path to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s desk.
Senate committees quickly approved the telecommunications reform bill on Wednesday, clearing it for a general vote in the Senate. (Graciela López Herrera/Cuartoscuro)
Boosting interest in the bill is the issue of “foreign propaganda” over Mexican airwaves, such as the recent US government anti-immigration spots. Sheinbaum is on record of wanting to move to ban such ads, which she described as discriminatory and racist.
Critics of the bill warn that the proposal would open the door to government censorship of media.
But the reform entails much more than a reaction to the U.S. anti-immigration ads. Supporters emphasize, for example, that the reform is a serious effort to bridge the nation’s persistent digital divide — 46.8% of the population lives in poverty and many rural areas lack access to digital infrastructure.
“The extensive legislative proposal will redefine the country’s digital governance framework for decades to come,” it wrote. “[It] not only signals a structural shift in the institutional regulation of the digital ecosystem, but also embeds social inclusion, digital equity, and public interest as pillars of national policy.”
The proposal prioritizes universal broadband coverage and affordable connectivity as state responsibilities, in line with a constitutional reform on Internet access approved last year.
The reform also effectively eliminates the Federal Telecoms Institute (IFT) and creates a “super agency” by defining the role and function of the new Digital Transformation and Telecoms Agency (ATDT). Under the bill, ATDT is charged with regulating, promoting and supervising the use of public radio spectrum, networks and digital services.
ATDT is given the authority to grant commercial use concessions for wholesale shared telecoms services to public entities, including under a public-private partnership model. But “under no circumstances will this concession permit the provision of services to end users.”
Another major change relates to allowing the awarding of spectrum or lower usage fees in exchange for coverage commitments.
The bill would codify the replacement of the autonomous telecommunications regulator IFT with a new agency. (IFT)
“It is necessary for the state to adopt public policies that incentivize the provision of telecoms services in priority areas and to review spectrum pricing in order to eliminate barriers to technological development,” the bill states.
The opposition cries foul
Opponents have expressed alarm over changes in Articles 109 and 210, which allow for the temporary blocking of a digital platform upon request by a competent authority “for failing to comply with regulatory provisions.”
The legislation does not identify who these competent authorities might be.
President Sheinbaum moved quickly to allay concerns over censorship, even suggesting that the relevant text be modified to clarify that her administration has no intention of censoring content. “That article needs to be clarified to prevent people from saying we want to censor a platform like Facebook or YouTube,” she said. “It needs to be amended or eliminated if it creates confusion.”
Opposition lawmakers claim the legislation promotes censorship as digital content platforms would be prohibited from including any advertising or propaganda financed by a foreign government, except for cultural or touristic information.
Critics have also decried the Senate’s swift passage of the bill which features 283 articles and creates 27 provisional laws.
The bill defines the role of the Digital Transformation and Telecoms Agency (ATDT) in regulating radio, networks and digital services. (Ted Balmer/Unsplash)
She said the notion of banning propaganda by foreign entities could have been achieved by reforming three constitutional articles. Instead, the new bill would “permit the government to cancel content that it finds uncomfortable.”
Describing the bill as authoritarian, López accuses Sheinbaum and Morena of “using the indignation [prompted by the U.S. ads] to pass a law that could silence those who disagree with the regime. This is an attack on freedom of speech.”
Supporters respond to the criticism by claiming the conservative opposition has colluded with the telecoms industry to become “de facto powers” able to escape democratic control. In an editorial, La Jornada newspaper pointed to the U.S. ads as proof of this lack of ethics.
The decades haven't always been kind to the city of Tijuana, but it's come back stronger every time. (Let's Visit Mexico)
Tijuana is a city that never should have happened. Jammed up against San Diego on the United States border in the far northwest of Mexico, the city is riddled with mountains and canyons. Yet, it has become the second largest city on the west coast of North America after Los Angeles, with a population of more than 2 million. Limited from growing northward and westward by the border and the ocean, it has sprawled south to Playas de Rosarito (Rosarito Beach) and east to Tecate, with award-winning wine country not far away either.
Its relationship with San Diego, its northern neighbor, has always been complicated by a border that follows no natural path but was drawn as a straight line after the war between Mexico and the United States. San Diego was neat and orderly with a great seaport and the advantages of being part of the richest U.S. state and the most prosperous nation on the globe. Tijuana was disorderly, dirty and part of a nation struggling with civil war.
Mexico’s border capital is a sprawling metropolis. (Cuartoscuro)
What was Tijuana to do? It began to exploit the vices not available north of the border and to adapt its economy to American demand. Ironically, what was considered to be bad in Tijuana would become nice and good when eventually adopted by San Diego and the United States.
In the 1920s, temperance became the law of the land in the United States. Bars were closed, and liquor sales were banned. But the bars and saloons were wide open in Tijuana.
Those were the glamour days, when Tijuana was happy to sell liquor to thirsty Americans, like the Bronfmans of Canada and the bootleggers and speakeasies in the United States. The Hollywood set and others flocked to Tijuana to slake their thirst. Caesar’s Restaurant opened in 1924 on the city’s main street, Avenida Revolución, and invented the Caesar salad to serve to hungry drinkers.
But the day the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, Tijuana quickly became a ghost town.
What to do? Tijuana reinvented itself. Casinos were legal in Mexico in the 1930s, but they weren’t in California. The Casino at Agua Caliente was built and owned by the same people who created Las Vegas — Mickey Cohen and Bugsy Segal of Los Angeles. The subsequent prosperity from gambling resulted in the Tijuana International Airport, named after Rodriguez, as well as a monument built in his honor.
The casino and spa achieved a near-mythical status, with Hollywood stars and gangsters flying in to play — often with ladies who were not their wives (or husbands). Musical nightclub productions were broadcast over the radio. Margarita Cancino was discovered here, becoming the legendary Rita Hayworth.
It was in Tijuana that Rita Hayworth was first discovered. (Yours)
But in 1935, newly elected President Lazaro Cárdenas decreed an end to gambling and casinos in Baja California, and the Agua Caliente complex faltered, then closed. Tijuana again became a ghost town.
Then Japan attacked the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, and millions of young Navy sailors from all over the United States arrived in San Diego. For the young men, San Diego was considered “pretty” but really, really boring.
It was then that Tijuana — particularly its bars along Avenida Revolucion — became the destination of choice for fun for many of these military men. And Tijuana’s notorious “Zona Norte” red-light zone provided liquor and ladies for America’s finest. Bullfights lent “sophistication” and excitement for the young American who found that they, too, “weren’t in Kansas anymore.”
Then the war ended, and, once again, Tijuana languished. American tourists still flocked to Tijuana, however, searching for what they could not get in the conservative Eisenhower era in their own country.
Readily available were instant marriages and quick divorces. Ready abortions flourished for American women with unfortunate or unwanted pregnancies in Tijuana, despite abortion’s illegality throughout Mexico. Also popular were the topless shows at the notorious Blue Fox bar, where ladies did things with their anatomy that amazed and titillated, often with audience participation.
Then came the 1960s and the sexual revolution in the United States. Tijuana again fell on hard times.
Tijuana in the 1960s. (Bygonely)
In the 1960s, Tijuana discovered a new way of doing business with the Americans — free trade zones, where merchandise from around the world could be purchased for much less than north of the border. Without taxes, many beautiful stores opened in Tijuana, including Sara, Dorians, Maxim Imports and endless beauty supply stores and fashion outlets.
Tijuana stores carried perfumes and excellent merchandise from Asia and Europe that attracted customers from both the United States and Mexico long before these items were available at the local San Diego department stores.
Then after Mexico’s passage of the National Border Industrialization Program of 1964 and as Tijuana tamed the Tijuana River, — prone to flooding low-lying parts of the city — Tijuana found another sustainable way to bring prosperity to its people. The “maquiladora” program saw raw materials shipped to Tijuana for assembly and then returned to the United States as finished goods.
Since then, the maquiladora program has created a prosperous city that now exports almost US $200 million of sophisticated goods every day. Tijuana has become the global leader in television production, pacemakers, heart valves, orthopedic products, aerospace parts, and trucks. It is now the world’s largest center for the manufacture of medical devices.
International companies with globally recognized names began to manufacture in Tijuana. Companies such as Kyocera, Toyota, Hyundai, Samsung, Panasonic, SONY, DJO Global, Cubic Corporation, Solar Turbines/Caterpilar, Bose speakers, Sharp, and Welch Allyn opened maquiladoras.
The next time you have your blood pressure taken, look at the equipment. Odds are it will say Made in Mexico by Welch Allyn — in Tijuana. There is Plantronics (now Poly), where the headsets used by the astronauts are made. More flat-screen televisions are made in Tijuana than anywhere else in the world.
Tijuana’s maquiladoras have made the city prosperous. (Eire Capital)
More than 37 Tier 1 companies and industry suppliers now operate in the city. This cluster represents the largest concentration of firms and employment of the aerospace and defense industry in Mexico.
The city offers a manufacturing ecosystem with a unique combination of competitive factors such as 30 years of manufacturing experience, world-class quality, competitive labor costs, and a local supply chain. Tijuana today has more than 50 state-of-the-art industrial parks.
Thriving drugstores sell medicines from the same international companies as in the United States, but at much lower prices. Many pharmaceuticals that require a prescription in the U.S. can be purchased over the counter in Tijuana, making this one of the reasons U.S. tourists come to the city.
They choose to live in Tijuana for three main reasons: lower cost of living, a different, dynamic culture and family connections.
The United States Navy recognizes Tijuana as the preferred residence for many of its civilian workers who use the U.S.’s Global Entry/SENTRI system to easily cross the border to their jobs on a daily basis, avoiding San Diego’s high housing costs.
These commuters are part of the more than 120,000 Americans living on the Baja California peninsula. Their needs are served by one of the largest US Consulates in the world, based, of course, in Tijuana.
Tijuana, which once thrived by offering Americans the opportunity to be bad, now prospers as one of Mexico’s industrial powerhouses.
INAH researchers combed through the sediment deposits to identify remains of camelids, equines and possibly mammoths. (CINAH Tamaulipas)
Authorities in the northern state of Tamaulipas reported the discovery of suspected mammoth fossils near the Francisco Villa Ejido, in the Magical Town of Tula.
According to officials, a team of scientists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) Tamaulipas, unearthed the fossils on April 17 following an anonymous tip. The remains were found embedded on the wall of a creek known as El Vado de la Muralla.
One of the exposed bones appears to be the hip bone of a mammoth or mastodon. (Esteban Ávalos/INAH)
The remains need further research to determine the species they belong to, biologist Ángel Banda said. However, initial observations suggested that one of the exposed bones corresponds to the hip of a proboscidean, a group of mammals that includes elephants and extinct species like mammoths and mastodons.
“The area [where the fossils were found] consisted of alluvial deposits with sediments like sand, gravel, and silt. Over time, various remains of megafauna were found there,” Banda explained. “As a result, we conducted a broader exploration that enabled us to locate part of a jawbone with teeth from a camelid and the upper molar of an equine.”
With the information they have to date, scientists believe that the fossils date back to the Late Pleistocene, making them at least 10,000 years old. Further studies at the Archaeology Section of the INAH Tamaulipas Center, in Ciudad Victoria, will allow researchers to draw firmer conclusions.
Exploration and recovery efforts continued until April 18, with the support of Tula Mayor René Lara Cisneros, who arranged for the site to be guarded by the Tamaulipas State Police to prevent any looting.
Head of INAH Tamaulipas Tonantzin Silva said that this was a successful case of collaboration between the INAH, local authorities and citizens, and called on citizens to report any new findings.
“We urge residents to report back to us any archaeological or paleontological discovery, so that the heritage can be properly investigated and safeguarded,” he said.
After international organizations lowered Mexico's economic growth forecast, Sheinbaum sought to focus on good news on Thursday. (Presidencia)
After both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank slashed their 2025 economic growth forecasts for Mexico, the federal government is at pains to paint a rosier picture.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed her disagreement with the pessimistic forecasts, claiming that they don’t take into consideration her government’s plans to boost the economy.
At the president’s Thursday morning press conference, Finance Minister Marcelo Ebrard provided an update on the investment that is expected to flow into Mexico in the coming years, while Sheinbaum herself highlighted Mexico’s “macroeconomic stability” when asked a question about the performance of the Mexican peso.
Almost $300 billion in the investment pipeline
After Grupo Modelo executive Raúl Escalante announced a US $3.6 billion investment in Mexico over the next three years, Ebrard took center stage to present an update on Mexico’s so-called “Portfolio for Shared Prosperity.”
The portfolio is currently made up of 1,937 private sector projects across all 32 federal entities, Ebrard said.
It includes projects to be executed by both Mexican and foreign companies in Mexico.
Inversión de 3 600 millones de dólares entre 2025 y 2027 del Grupo Modelo en México : pic.twitter.com/9CYxduYluZ
Ebrard said that the 1,937 “confirmed projects” represent investment of US $298 billion between now and the end of the six-year term of the current government in 2030.
“More or less this represents 16% of the gross domestic product of our country — $298 billion Madam President, that’s what we have [in the investment pipeline],” he said.
Despite global uncertainty due to the United States’ protectionist policies and other factors, Ebrard said that none of the announced projects have been canceled.
However, there is no guarantee they will all go ahead either.
For example, the construction of a so-called Tesla “gigafactory” in Nuevo León — announced by the company more than two years ago — doesn’t currently appear to be overly likely.
Why invest in Mexico? For its hard-working people, Sheinbaum says
Asked to identify the “advantages” of investing in Mexico compared to other countries, Sheinbaum promptly cited Mexico’s “hardworking” people.
“This image that was promoted for a period, of a Mexican with a sombrero sitting down under a nopal cactus as if we were lazy, is completely false,” she said.
“The people of Mexico work here and our migrants work there and drive the economy of the United States forward,” she said.
Sheinbaum highlighted Mexico’s skilled labor force as a draw for investment. (Cyril Abad/CAPA Pictures/Safran)
“So that is the first thing,” Sheinbaum said.
She also mentioned that the availability of “skilled” labor in Mexico has increased, and continues to increase, telling reporters that Mexico is among the world’s largest trainers of engineers.
Sheinbaum highlighted that “cheap labor” used to be the top selling point for investors in Mexico, but asserted that is no longer the case.
“Mexico is great and it has everything to keep on developing,” she added.
“There is a lot of strength in the Mexican economy, there is macroeconomic stability, responsibility in the use of public resources, in the use of the budget,” Sheinbaum responded.
“In other words, the macroeconomic variables are good,” she said.
“There is a Bank of Mexico with autonomy, that is taking good decisions. Interest rates were lowered here,” Sheinbaum added.
She also attributed the strength of the peso to the absence of inflation, even though Mexico’s headline rate was close to 4% in the first half of April, up from 3.80% across March.
“There is no inflation. The inflation level just came out, it’s the same number as last month,” Sheinbaum said.
“So there is macroeconomic stability. Then there is public investment, private investment and there is an [economic plan],” she said, referring to the government’s Plan México initiative.
“And there is political strength, social strength, economic strength in the country. That is shown in the stability of our currency,” Sheinbaum said.
Teresa Ribera, one of the European Union's six vice presidents, visited Mexico this week. (Gobierno de España CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The trade agreement between the European Union and Mexico will be updated to include an energy chapter, the EU’s Executive Vice President for the Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, announced on Wednesday.
The new chapter of Europe’s trade deal with Mexico is expected to focus on the transition to clean and renewable energy, as well as energy and agri-food sustainability, Ribera said during her visit to Mexico.
“In recent months, we have reached an agreement to modernize a global agreement that over the last 25 years has brought very important benefits to our societies and our economy,” Ribera stated during a Wednesday press conference.
The agreement, which has enhanced trade relations between the two powers, was signed in 1997 and entered into force in 2000. The EU has since become the second-largest investor in Mexico and its third-largest trade partner globally.
Ribera discussed the geopolitical pressures being faced by several countries worldwide due to the United States trade war and the imposition of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It is very difficult to predict what could happen because circumstances show that reality can change very quickly,” said Ribera.
The new energy chapter
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Jan. 23 that the energy sector had been excluded from the EU-Mexico trade agreement.
However, during her visit, Ribera said that energy policies had been discussed in general terms, although it is not clear to what extent it is reflected in the agreement.
“There is close and intense cooperation on energy matters between the EU and Mexico,” said Ribera.
Unofficial sources said that the agreement is expected to be approved by the end of the year, pending the standard bureaucratic process for legislation in the EU, and an updated treaty has already been drafted, the Mexican newspaper La Jornada reported.
The updated Mexico-EU trade deal is expected to be approved by the end of the year. (Christian Lue/Unsplash)
“Nothing is stopping the signing beyond the usual bureaucratic processes that we all must comply with, in our case, with a certain degree of complexity,” Ribera explained.
Ribera emphasized the importance of international cooperation to support a green transition, stressing that the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will not halt progress.
“The world has 192 countries, and if the United States leaves the agreement, the rest of us must continue,” she added.
Protests took place outside the home of a native-born Mazatlán resident after nearby social media users assumed he was a foreigner engaging in harassment. (X)
A viral video showing an encounter between a homeowner and a construction worker in Mazatlán has escalated into public protests and a heated debate over urban tensions, misinformation and the power of social media.
The incident, initially described as a case of a gringo (American) harassing a Mexican laborer, has since been clarified: The homeowner, José Ignacio Lizárraga Pérez, is a lifelong Mazatlán local — a Mazatleco — not an American, Canadian or other foreign national.
What happened earlier this week reportedly was this: Lizárraga, a 78-year-old lawyer, asked construction workers, eating lunch on a public sidewalk outside his home, to move because they were blocking his entrance and garage.
He said his house is on Cruz Lizárraga Avenue, a well-known street one block from the beach named not for him but for clarinetist Don Cruz Lizárraga, the founder of the famous music group Banda El Recodo.
Being built right there, near the intersection with Hamm Street, is Stelarhe, a luxury residential complex of two 30-floor towers offering ocean views and high-end amenities.
“All I asked of the workers who were blocking the entrance to my home on Monday was that they move to another side to clear the way,” Lizárraga told Noroeste in a phone interview, adding, “I’m not a gringo nor do I want to be. I’m from Mazatlán, and my family has been here for generations.”
A video of the encounter was shared by a bystander who believed Lizárraga was a foreigner and labeled him as such. Shortly after being posted Tuesday, it went viral.
Social media outrage followed, with users accusing him of racism and classism and the harassment of a Mexican citizen in his own territory.
On Wednesday, dozens of protesters gathered outside Lizárraga’s home, chanting, waving Mexican flags, throwing eggs and banging on his doors, while passing cars honked in support. The rhythm of the song “Por Mi México” blared in the background.
“Look, they’re destroying my garage doors,” Lizárraga recounted as the protest unfolded.
Despite the commotion, no police intervened until after damage was done, he said, adding that his wife called authorities out of concern for their safety.
Lizárraga explained that the ongoing construction of the tower has brought daily disruptions for years, including blocked entrances, noise and debris — a common experience for Mexicans in many urban locations, made especially irritating when the construction is being driven by tourism and creating more rental units for foreigners.
🔵🔴 Se le armó al gringo en #Mazatlán 🤣 Decenas de personas se reunieron afuera de la casa del extranjero que quitó de su banqueta a un trabajador, solo por estar comiendo. Hicieron carnita asada, pusieron música y hasta le aventaron huevos a su casa 😱🤣 #SVNNoticiaspic.twitter.com/BGb48Cg9r3
“At lunchtime, between 15 and 20 people come here to eat on average daily … I have no problem with that. … What I do have a problem with is when … they block the garage and they block the entrance door.”
The worker involved, named as Jorge, described feeling “attacked” but said he did not wish to escalate the situation. His colleagues, however, voiced anger at what they perceived as disrespect toward local workers.
Authorities, including Jaime Othoniel Barrón Valdez, secretary of public security in Mazatlán, eventually confirmed Lizárraga’s local status — a day or two after the incident — and cautioned against mob justice fueled by social media rumors.
“It’s hard to imagine that a lie can have such a reach,” Lizárraga said.
Although this incident proved to not involve a foreigner, gringo-versus-locals incidents are not uncommon in Mazatlán, a Sinaloa port city of 442,000.
About a year ago, a video sparked a fiery debate between people supporting the right of musicians to play loud banda music on or near the beach and backers of an anti-noise ordinance. Those seeking to prohibit such music included hotel owners, business leaders and politicians — allegedly in an attempt to cater to the desires of tourists and non-Mexican residents.
While the federal government attributed the mayhem to an inter-cartel dispute, state officials said it was a reaction to an increased presence of federal forces in Michoacán. (X)
Cartel conflict wreaked havoc across the western state of Michoacán on Wednesday, as organized crime gangs blockaded 10 highways by setting vehicles on fire.
The chaos extended into the states of Jalisco to the northwest and Guanajuato to the northeast.
Order was restored in Guanajuato after six hours of mayhem, state and federal officials declared on Wednesday night. Michoacán authorities worked late into the night removing the vehicles and other obstacles before reopening the highways, while urging motorists to exercise caution.
In a brief statement issued Thursday morning, Federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said at least two police officers died in the violence, adding that federal officials defused several explosive artifacts and secured a number of land mines.
”Yesterday, violent incidents occurred in 26 municipalities in Michoacán, two in Guanajuato, and one in Jalisco,” the minister tweeted on X. “These incidents resulted in the burning of several vehicles, three attacks on stores, several roadblocks, and assaults on authorities, resulting in the death of two police officers.”
García Harfuch did not identify the police officers nor did he say to which state force they belonged.
Most of the violence took place in Michoacán, with 26 municipalities victimized, but some of it spilled over into the neighboring states of Jalisco and Guanajuato. (@1aplanamx/X)
According to García Harfuch, the violence was strictly a cartel conflict between rival gangs. “It is important to note that these attacks are the result of conflicts between two criminal groups fighting over territories,” he wrote.
But the Michoacán Security Ministry attributed the violence to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) reacting to coordinated operations carried out by federal forces that sought to shut down criminal activity in a broad swath of Michoacán.
In recent weeks, the Navy Ministry has conducted anti-crime operations in the Bajío region, Tierra Caliente, the Chapala marsh area, the central plateau and eastern Michoacán. The CJNG reaction began around 2 p.m. Wednesday, just across the state border in Jalisco.
Approximately 50 men erected a barricade by setting fire to six cargo trucks in the municipality of La Barca, Jalisco, shutting down federal Highway 15 in both directions. Highway 15 connects the state capitals of Morelia, Michoacán, and Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Shortly thereafter, armed men appeared near San Andrés Coru, about 100 kilometers west of Morelia and 20 kilometers northeast of Uruapan, Michoacán’s second-largest city. The men shut down federal Highway 14 (the Patzcuaro-Uruapan highway) by setting fire to a tractor-trailer.
Farther south in the Tierra Caliente, the suspected cartel members set fire to two vehicles and two Oxxo convenience stores near Apatzingán.
At the same time, Morelia came under attack as criminals blocked federal Highway 43 — which connects the Michoacán capital with Salamanca, Guanajuato — by setting two engine blocks on fire.
Similar tactics were used to shut down the Uruapan-Chilchota, Vista Hermosa-Yurécuaro, La Piedad-Zamora and Quiroga-Zacapu highways. Automobiles were also set ablaze in the municipalities of Churintzio (northwestern Michoacán), Huaniqueo (90 km northwest of Morelia) and Maravatío (northeastern Michoacán). An additional 25 vehicles were damaged in these three incidents.
The federal government responded to the reports by deploying the military and Security Ministry personnel to suppress the blockades and patrol major cities affected by the cartel attacks.
In separate incidents in the northern municipality of Álvaro Obregón bordering Guanajuato, officials apprehended two men — one in a pick-up truck, another on a motorcycle — each with a gallon of gasoline and a walkie-talkie.
